Shoe lasting machine



June 24, 1941- J. P. FREDERICKSEN SHOE LASTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 15, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 1941- J. P. FREDERICKSEN SHOE LASTING MACHINE 2 Shets-Sheet 2 .Filed NOV. 13, 1959 Patented June 24, 1941 i T E i STATES PATENT osr cs SHOE LASTING MACHINE James P. Fredericksen, Wollaston, Mass., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Borough of Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application November 13, 1939,-Serial No. 304,001

Claims The present invention relates to improvements in machines for lasting and sewing shoes of the type in which the outturnedmarginal portions of a shoe upper are fastened to the marginal portions of a thin unchanneledmid-Sole or can- 1 insole is constructed to fit the tread surface of the last on which it is to be mounted with the edge of the insole substantially coincidingwith the edge or break line formed between the tread surface and the upper supporting surface of the last. The shoe is then guided by the channel during the lasting operation, and the upper is fastened to the insole lip or flapformed by the channel, the marginal portions of the upper being carried into the angle between the lip and the edge of the insole so that theupper is brought around the break lineof the last onto'the tread surface. If a welt shoe is being constructed, the welt is led into the inseam connecting the upper and insole lip, and that portion of the upper margin overlapping the tread surface of the last forms with the outsole of the shoe a deep crease within which the inseam is 'eifectivelyhidden and protected. However, a channeled insole not only is expensive to prepare, but is necessarily of greater thickness than an unchanneled insole so that it renders a shoe constructed in the manner indicated stiff and heavy without correspondingly adding to its wearing qualities.

The objects of the present invention, therefore, are to provide a novel and improved shoe machine by means of which there may be manufactured a shoe simulating in many respects one employing a channeledinsole without stiffness or unnecessary weight common to this type of shoe, and to simplify and render less expensive than heretofore the construction of welt type shoes so that cheaper materials and fewer operations are required. v

With these and other objects in View, the present invention contemplates the provision in a shoe lasting machine having spaced'devices for guiding the last along the upper supporting and tread surfaces of the last, and means for fasten ing the out-turned margin of the upper to a thin unchanneled mid-sole or a sheet of woven material mounted on the tread surface of the last for holdingthe upper under tension .after tread surfaces of the last.

fastening, of means acting on the outturned 'margin of the upper and sheet material between the guiding devices at a distance from the last to cause the upper to be drawn by the pull of the 'fastenings around the break line which is formed by the angle between the upper supporting and As hereinafter described, the fastenings consist of stitches so that no wiping action by rigid or rough. edged mechanical devices past the break line of the last is required. Thus the possibility of injuring the stretched marginal portion of the upper as it is carried around the last break line is avoided. These results are best obtained, according to the present invention, by employing fixed guiding means and holding the upperand sheet material in gapping-relation along the break line of the last to cause the upper and sheet material to be drawn together by the pull of the stitches. In this way the upper may be laid at a uniform distance inside the break line of the last against the tread surface so that the resulting shoe will be shaped accurately in accordance with the configuration of the last with.- out the necessity of utilizinga heavy channeled insole.

In the present form of this feature, the means for causing the upper and sheet material to gap comprises a pair of rotatable rolls acting with a continuous bite on the upper andsheet, and the stitch-forming devices are arranged to engage the parts between the rolls and the guiding devices. Preferably the stitch-forming devices are provided with-a-work-penetrating instrument operating first to engage the upper when entering the work, and with means for tightening the stitches at the opposite side of the work from the work penetrating instrument. By causing the work-penetrating instrument first to engage the upper, the upper is given a preliminary movement towards lasted relation rather than away from the sheet to which it is fastened. In order to maintain the out-turned margins of the parts more effectively under tension during lasting, at least one of the gripping rolls is formed along its periphery with helical teeth arranged to resist the tendency of the upper to slip from between the rolls.

Other features of the inventionconsi'st of certain novel constructions, combinations and 'arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed, the advantages of which will be apparent to those skilled inthe art from the following description and the accompanying'drawings, in which Figurel is a'view in side elevation, partly Figure 5 is a perspective view of the same parts after the lasting and sewing operation is completed.

The illustrated machine operates to secure a shoe upper into lasted relation with a thin unchanneled sheet of canvas material mounted on the tread surface of the last on which the shoe is constructed, for holding the upper under tension after the lasting operation is completed. The toe portion of a last used in the construction of shoes is indicated at 2 in Figures 2 to 4 inclusive, an upperrat 4, and a canvas sheet to which the upper. is lasted at 6, cemented or tacked to the tread surface 8 of the last. In order to hold the upper in' place during the lasting operation, a cloth lining portion of the upper is turned inwardly and made fast by cement along the tread surface of the last, leaving the marginal portion of the upper free along a break line Ill of the last formed by the angle between the upper supporting surface I3 and the tread surface 8 of the last. Instead of cementing the lining directly to the tread surface, a separate unchanneled inner sole I4 is employed between the last and the inturned upper lining, the inner sole providing a better surface for receiving the cement and imparting sufficient stiffness to retain the shape of the shoe along the inseam after removal from the last. With the lining portion of the upper temporarily cemented in place, the break line between the upper supporting and tread surfaces of the last appears throughthe lining along the dotted line IS in Figure 3.

In order to avoid the use of a relatively heavy channeled inner sole for guiding the lasting operation in the usual manner with the resulting heavy stiff construction, according to the present invention, the machine is provided with spaced guide members comprising a fixed work support 18 and a guide plate 20 arranged in substantially the same manner as described in U. S. Letters Patent to Leveque No. 1,864,510 of June 21, 1932, except that the Work support, according to the present construction, is reduced somewhat in thickness and in width in order that the shoe may be tipped and turned freely in presenting the shoe to the, machine. The machine of the patent is intended to operate on stitchdown shoes, and has a pair of rolls similar to those indicated at 22 and 24 which act with a contnuous bite close to the upper engaging surface of the last to draw the marginal portions of the shoe. upper over the last and to clamp the upper against the projecting edge of a substantially rigid outsole until the fastening devices which consist of a straight eye pointed needle 26 and a loop taken 28 have secured the parts together. In the present machine the rolls- 22, 24 do not draw the marginal portions of the parts of the shoe together close to the last, but are so arranged that only the extreme inner edges of the rolls act to grip the projecting marginal portions of the upper and canvas sheet 6 together. The peripheral surfaces of the rolls are made parallel to their axes which are inclined to each other, permitting the upper and canvas sheet to gap to a substantial degree away from the tread side of the break line on the last between the bite of the rolls and the last, as indicated in Figure 1. ,With the parts gripped in gapping relation, the needle, as it penetrates the work first engages the upper, then passes through the space provided by the gap between the upper and the canvas sheet close to the break line of the last, and finally passes through the sheet. When the stitches inserted by the needle are tightened, the pull of the sewing thread, indicated at 29, in the stitches causes the upper and sheet to be drawn together around the break line of the last, overlapping the tread surface side of the break line so that the resulting line of the seam runs parallel to and slightly inside the break line on the tread surface of the last, as indicated in Figure 4.

The pulling effect of the stitches and their action in drawing the gapping shoe parts together is rendered effective in the present machine by the arrangement of the stitch forming devices including the needle 26 and the loop taker 28. When the needle penetrates the parts, the loop taker receives the loop of thread carried by the needle and at the same time frees a loop of thread previously carried by the loop taker to form a chainstitch seam. The needle then is withdrawn from the work and the loop taker, together with others of the stitch forming devices exerts a pull on the thread to set the lastformed stitch. ,The pull on the thread exerted by the loop taker is principally in a downwardly direction so that there is a tendency to draw the gapping upper and canvas sheet together by movement of the upper towards the sheet, thus causing the upperlto be wrapped snugly around the break line of the last. With the needle disengaged from the Work while the stitch setting pull is being applied to the thread, the perforated portions of the upper and canvas sheet are free to shift out of alignment with the needle during the movement of the gapping parts together so that the parts may be wrapped more closely against the. surfaces of the last.

As in the patented machine, the rolls 22, 24 are rotated intermittently to move the work the length of a stitch through ratchet actuated driving mechanism including helical gears 30 connected to the rolls, second helical gears 32 meshing respectively with the gears 30 and Horton clutches connected to the gears 32, the driving members of which clutches are indicated at 34 and are oscillated at the same time during each sewing cycle by mechanisms including links 38 pivotally connected with the driving members 34. Due to the gapping relation of the parts operated upon and to the tension applied to the parts by the rolls, there is a tendency for the upper and canvas sheet to be drawn from between the rolls outwardly of the machine.

To offset the tendency of the marginal portions of the upper and canvas sheet from slipping from between the rolls and to impart a uniform stretch to the parts, the peripheries of the rolls in the present machine are formed with helical teeth 38 disposed at the proper angle so that their lengthwiseedges will engage the parts operated upon along lines substantially at right angles to the direction in which the tension is applied to the parts. Another effect of the helical teeth is to increase, rather than decrease, the tension on the parts being operated upon whenthe line Gil.

ever slippage occurs along the surfacesof the .parts, the angle of the teeth acting to draw the upperand canvas. sheet inwardly of the machine. After the shoe has been completely lasted'with .the upper bent around the break line-of the last protecting the inseam sothat when an outsole is attached, either by cement or stitches, a good appearance will result. When a bevelled -welt strip is inserted along the crease formed by the out-turned margin of the upper, the same shape is given as with a shoe employing a channeled insole. When a weltis inserted in the crease between the last break line and the sole, it-may be desirable to bevel slightly the edge of the insole I4, as illustrated in Figures 3 to 5 inclusive, so as to provide sufiicient space within the crease to receive the welt.

Among the advantages gained by the use of the machine described are the freedom of the operator in directing the insertion of the inseam by tilting the shoe about its point of engagement with the guide members and the uniformity with which the upper is tensioned over the last. If the shoe is tilted upwardly the inseam will be formed higher up on the tread surface of the shoe and nearer the break line of the last, and when tilted downwardly, the inseam will be formed further away from the last break line but in any case the tension applied to the upper remains the same. Where a channeled insole is used, the shape of the inseam is usually fixed by the lip of the insole and can not be changed by the operator.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated, and a particular embodiment of the invention having been specifically described, what is claimed is:

1. A machine for lasting a shoe upper to an unchanneled sheet of relatively thin material mounted on the tread surface of a last having, in combination, spaced shoe guiding devices engaging the last supported surfaces of the upper and sheet, devices for inserting fastenings along the break line formed by the angle between the upper supporting and tread surfaces of the last, and means acting on the out-turned margins of the upper and sheet between the guiding devices at a distance from the last to cause th upper to be drawn around the break line of the last by the pull of the fastenings.

2. A machine for lasting a shoe upper to an unchanneled sheet of relatively thin material mounted on the tread surface of a last having, in combination, stitch-forming devices operating along the break line formed by the angle between the upper supporting and tread surfaces of the last, and means acting on theout-turned margins of the upper and sheet at a distance from the last to cause the upper to be drawn around the break line of the last by the pull of th stitches.

3. A machine for lasting a shoe upper to an unchanneled sheet of relatively thin material mounted on the tread surface of a last having, in combination, stitch-forming devices operating along the break line formed by the angle between the upper supporting and tread surfaces of the last, and means including fixed guide :members on the machine for holding the upper andsheetin .gapping relation at the tread surface side 1.0f the break line on the last to cause the upper andsheet to be drawn together by the pull ;of the stitches with the upper wrapped around said break line.

4. A machine for lasting a shoe upper to an .unchanneled sheet of relatively thin .material mounted-on .the tread surface of a last having,

inlcombination, stitch-forming devices operating along the break line-formed by the angle between the upper supporting and tread surfaces of. the last, and means including fixed guide members on the machine for imparting a stretch to the'upper and sheet at a distancefrom the last to cause the upper and sheet to gap at the tread surface side of the break line on the last in advance of the point of operation of the stitch-forming :devices, and the upper to be drawn ,by the pull of the stitches around the -break line ofthe last.

5. A machine for lastingashoe upper to an unchanneled sheet of relatively thin material mounted on the tread surface of a last having, in combination, a pair of rotable rolls acting with a continuous bite on the out-turned margins of the upper and sheet, means acting along the upper engaging and tread surfaces of the last above and below the break line formed by said surfaces for guiding the last at a distance from the bite of the rolls to cause the upper and sheet to gap at the tread surface side of the break line, and stitch-forming devices for drawing the upper and sheet together on the tread surface side of the last break line by the pull of the stitches.

6. A machine for lasting a shoe upper to an unchanneled sheet of relatively thin material mounted on the tread surface of a last having, in combination, a pair of rotatable rolls acting with a continuous bite on the out-turned margins of the upper and sheet, means acting along the upper engaging and tread surfaces of the last above and below the break line formed by said surfaces for guiding the last at a distance from the bite of the rolls to cause the upper and sheet to gap at the tread surface side of the break line, and stitch-forming devices including a work penetrating instrument operating between the bite of the rolls and the last, first to engage the upper when entering the work, and means for tightening the stitches at the opposite side of the work from the work penetrating instrument to draw the out-turned margin of the upper around the break line of the last by the pull of the stitches.

7. A machine for lasting a shoe upper having, in combination, an upper engaging roll, a member between which and the peripheral surfaces of the roll the out-turned margin of the upper is gripped, means for rotating the roll and guiding the last to draw the upper over the last progressively along the shoe, and helical teeth formed about the periphery of the roll to impart a stretch to the upper as a result of slippage of the roll in the direction of feed along the upper.

8. A machine for lasting a shoe upper to an unchannel-ed sheet of relatively thin material mounted on the tread surface of a last having, in combination, an upper engaging roll, a sheet engaging roll between which and the peripheral surface of the upper engaging roll the out-turned margin of the upper and sheet are gripped, means for rotating the rolls and guiding the work to draw the upper over the last progressively along the shoe, and helical teeth formed about the peripheries of both of said rolls to impart a tension to the upper and said sheet as a result of slippage of the rolls along the work.

9. A machine for lasting a shoe upper to an unchanneled sheet of relatively thin material mounted on the tread surface of a last having, in combination, an upper engaging roll, a sheet engaging roll between which and the peripheral surface of the upper engaging roll the out-turned margin of the upper and sheet are gripped, means for rotating the rolls and guiding the work to draw the upper over the last progressively along the shoe, the peripheral surfaces of said rolls being disposed to grip the upper and sheet at a distance from the last and to cause the upper and sheet to gap between the bite of the rolls and the last, and helical teeth formed about the peripheries of at least one of said rolls to prevent working of the parts outwardly from the rolls as a result of the gapping relation between the upper and sheet.

10. A machine for lasting a shoe upper to an unchanneled sheet of relatively thin material mounted on the tread surface of a last having, in combination, an upper engaging roll, a sheet engaging roll between which and the peripheral surface of the upper engaging roll the out-turned margin of the upper and sheet are gripped, means for rotating the rolls and guiding the work to draw the upper over the last progressively along the shoe, the peripheral surfaces of said rolls being disposed to grip the upper and sheet at a distance from the last and to cause the upper and sheet to gap at the tread surface side of the break line on the last between the,

bite of the rolls and the last, and fastening means acting on the upper and sheet between the bite of the rolls and the last to cause the upper and sheet to be drawn together by the pull of the fastenings around the break line of the last.

JAMES P. FREDERICKSEN. 

